CRA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE: March 2014

With trade show season now in full swing I hope that many of you will have had the opportunity to meet our new managing director, Nathalie McGregor, in person by now. Nathalie brings many new ideas to the table and these fresh insights, combined with those of our hard working ladies in the Winnipeg head office, should help steer our association toward a very active future. As a fully bilingual Quebecois, Nathalie should also prove to be a great adjunct in fostering closer relations with our many Quebec members.  Please make her feel welcome to the industry.

By the time you read this I will already have experienced another round of great B.C. hospitality at the first trade show of the season. I know it will be great because the B.C. local always starts our show season on a high note and makes association members proud to be part of the CRA. Thanks to all of the B.C. local members who made this event so informative and welcoming to all who attended.

In my new role I will have the privilege of attending all of our regional trade shows in rather quick succession to represent the CRA national board of directors and gather your feedback on our shows from both our exhibitors’ and our member stores points of view. As an association we are always seeking ways to improve these shows to ensure the best possible outcome for all involved. There are many hundreds of hours of work by CRA staff and local volunteers that go into the preparation and execution of each of these shows in order to bring the latest industry developments to your doorstep. I would appreciate you sharing any recommendations and/or suggestions that you may have to assist us in improving the value of future events to your business. If you have not attended your local trade show recently I would encourage you to do so and use the opportunity to reward one of your employees by having them attend with you so they can get some idea of what is out there in Rental Land. It is not guaranteed, but it is a rare employee that does not get sparked to get more involved in improving your business after being exposed to new products and ideas at one of
these shows.

Your business as a member store or as one of our supplier members is our raison d’etre at the CRA and we work hard to not forget this. Much like you created a business plan to keep your business on course, we too have a plan. Newly minted by your board of directors, the CRA’s new five-year strategic plan is designed to keep everyone focused on our vision, our mission, our capabilities and, our limitations.  Focused on the areas of growth, governance, communication, branding, and training and education, the plan lays out goals in each of these key areas along with action plans and timelines to achieve these goals. To measure our success at reaching each of these goals, each action has a target so we can measure the ROI we achieve for each action plan.

Our mission is to be committed to improving personal and business development through the promotion and support of and advocacy for the rental industry within Canada. Having a set plan should prove a great tool going forward that we can use to qualify future initiatives and keep us on target in growing your association for your benefit. Unfortunately, there are too many details for this column but if you are interested in those details your CRA Strategic Plan is available through your local director.

 In closing I wish everyone a profitable rental year in 2014. For many the economy is supposed to hold strong so we should all see some growth in our businesses.